Virginia Tech baseball season comes to an end in a very fitting fashion

After such a promising start to the 2024 season for the Virginia Tech baseball team, it ended in such an all-too-fitting fashion Wednesday night in the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack took advantage of more pitching woes for the Hokies in a 19-9 loss to end Tech’s season.

The loss came one night after Virginia Tech dropped their Pool Play opener in Pool C Tuesday night to Duke, 11-8, after grabbing an early 5-0 lead in the top of the second inning only to allow 11 runs over the final eight innings.

Ben Watson lone bright spot in the loss

The Wolfpack scored six runs in the third and four more in the fourth for a 10-0 lead and it was clear what their game plan from the first pitch against Brent Renfrow. They worked a lot of deep counts and got his pitch count up and got into Virginia Tech’s bullpen. 

One bright spot not only in this game, but the whole season has been Ben Watson at the plate. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he had a two-run double to bring the Hokies within 19-9 and the game was stopped because of the 10-run rule. The extra-base hit was his 93rd hit of the season, which is a single-season program record.

Virginia Tech lost their last five games, three at Virginia last weekend and to Duke and NC State in the ACC Tournament to close out the season. It is going to be an interesting offseason for the Hokies who will likely see roster turnover with the transfer portal and possibly with the coaching staff. If there is one area the roster needs a cleaning out of, it’s with the pitching, mainly the bullpen as too many struggles out of the pen over the second half of the season cost them an NCAA Tournament berth.